peters



Parlo-ENT OFFICE.

E. i-i.v AsHGRoFr ANnafnnRQWN ,0F BOSTON. MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS f l TOE.H..AsHcRo-1rr.' y

JIMIPROV'ED ELEVATOR.

l Speciiicationforming part 'of Letters Patent No. 81,325, dated August 25, 1868.

To all lwhom fitmay concern; i i

Beitknown that we, H. "AsrrcR'oFr andj J. RJBROWN, o fBoston, in the county of Suffolk and Stateof Massachusetts, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements `in Ele.l vators'for Hotels, Stores, Sie.; and we do'hereby i Adeclz'tretllat thefollowing is a' full, clear, andl exact description thereof, reference being had? tothe accompanying drawings, making parti of this specification, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, like letters indicat ing like parts wherever they occur. f

To enable-others skilled' in the art to con-j struct and use ou'r invention, we will proceed;

to describe it.

been an object to so construct them that whilethey might be operated with the requisite speed and power, they should not become detached and fall by an accidental disarrangement of the mechanism, or of any of the parts.

In constructing our improved apparatus, we erect a suitable frame, consisting of an upright post, A, extending on each side of the hatchway from the bottom to the top of the building, or as far as it is desired to have the platform or cage move, these posts being secured firmly in place by being framed or bolted to floor, joist-s, and body of the building.

To the inner face of each of these posts we secure a vertical shaft, I, which is mounted in bearings or boxes L in such a manner as to permit their free rotation, as shown in Fig. 2. These shafts I may be about two and one-half inches in diameter, and are turned off smooth, and have a key-slot, o, cut in them their entire length, their diameter being, however, greater' or less, according to their length, it only being required to have them of such a size as to l resist the'torsional ystrain exerted upon them in'operating the'device.

Upon 'these-shafts I we secure -a series l of bosses or screws, It, of Ia diameter of siX inches 'or more, they bein g placed at uniform intervals or distances apart,-as shown clearly in Fig. 2,

and `secured 'firmly on theshafts by keys, as represented in 3,v or by pins or screws passing' transversely through them. These bosses'o'r screws =we make of the best gun-iron, and east them -with a core, forming a hole of the proper size to t the shaft I, though itis obvious that they may be cast solid and bored out, if preferred.

Theobjeet of vmaking the shafts and bosses thus isf,that it is muchcheaper than to take a 'shaftof' the'necessary size and cut a screwin it its 'whole length, andby making the bosses ofso much greater diameter than `the shaft it affords an opportunity to attach pedestal boxes or bearings to the posts A, for the'support of the shaftsv I, at frequent intervals between the bosses' R,"thus affording any desired number of supporting-points for the shafts, and enabling us to use smaller shafts, and keep them rigid, and at the same time use bosses or screws of large diameter, and consequently giving much larger bearing-surfaces to the screw-threads on the bosses, which, as will be seen hereinafter, support and move the load to be raised or lowered.

To each shaft I, at its lower end, we secure a bevel-gear wheel, F, which engages with a corresponding bevel-pinion, E, mounted on a horizontal shaft, D, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, motion being imparted to the shaft D through the medium of a pulley, P, or gear-wheels, driven by an engine or any suitable motor.

To the posts A, on opposite sides of the screw-shafts I, we secure firmly avertical timber or plate, B, having a groove, e, cut in its face, as shown in Fig. 1, these pieces B being secured to the posts by brackets h,- or they may be secured to the buildings the same as the posts A are, their functions being to serve as guides for the cage or platform. We then construct a cage or platform, C, in any suitable manner, of such a width as, when complete, to iill the space crosswise between the screwsha ts.

To the outer faces of the sides H of the cage we firmly secure a plate, J, which reaches from top to bottom of the cage C, these plates J being formed with a semicircular groove, running vertically on their outer faces, of a size corresponding to the diameter of the bosses B, andv having a screw-thread cut in these grooves to correspond with the thread on the bosses B.

The bosses we make usually about a foot in length, and the plates J should be ot' such a length that when the cage is placed inv position, the plates will bear on not less than two of the bosses on each side at all times, as shown in Fig. 2. It is obvious that, if desired, they may be arranged to bear on more of the bosses, and where they are intended to raise' heavy weights, this may be desirable.

From the sides of the cage opposite the guide-plates or timbers B project rollers a, as

, represented in Figs. 1 and 3, these rollers Working in` the grooves e in the face of the guides B, thus serving to hold and guide.the cage in its ascent and descent. If preferred, the rollers may be grooved and arranged to run on a rail of y corresponding form and size, the object and result being the lsame;, and, Iif desired, the frame consisting of the posts A and the guidevplates B, with the bearings for the shafts I,

may be cast together, in sections of suitable length, and any number of these sections may be united by lianges and bolts, and thus elevators made ready to set up in any building or place when desired, and to anyrequired height.

It will readily be perceived that an elevator constructed on thisplan can be made to raise a very heavy weight, and at the same time-,by so arranging the driving mechanism as to give to the shafts I a rapid rotation, the cage can be raised or lowered with rapidity when desired.

i Another great advantage of this plan is, that there is but little or no danger of the cage falling, as twill stand wherever stopped, u nless the screw-threads be made with great pitch.

When it is desired to use the elevator for raising heavy weights, the screw should have less pitch; but where the weight to be raised'is less, the pitch of the screws may be increased, and they may be made with double or treble threads, if desired.

-A counterweight, T, may be connected to the cage by means of a cord, b, passing over pulleys n, located above, as represented in Figs. 1 and 2.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is l. The shafts I, having a series of screws or bosses, B., arranged therein, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In combination with the shafts I, having the bosses R secured thereon, the plates J, having the semicircular grooves with screwthreads cut therein, said parts being arranged for joint operation, substantially as described.

3. An elevator consisting of a cage or platform having the screw-plates J and the guiderollers a attached, and the shafts I, with the bosses B., mounted ina suitable framefand arranged to operate substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof, of the foregoing-described invention, we hereby subscrlbe our names'.

E. H. ASHCROFT.

J. B. BROWN.

Witnesses:

EDWIN J. WRIGHT, C. AsHcRoFT. 

